Thomas Davis Mr. Davis, Chairperson of our Board, brings vast corporate management, strategic planning and finance experience to the board as well a broad international and global perspective and life-long passion for education. He earned his BA degree in business and history from the University of Michigan and received his MBA in finance from Northwestern University. In addition, he completed post-graduate studes at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Brookings Institute. Mr. Davis began his professional career at Exxon Corporation where he remained for 24 years, serving in a wide range of capacities, including marketing, public affairs, purchasing and sales, transportation, and strategic and corporate planning. Following his tenure at Exxon, he went on to assume the role of president of a financial & consulting services company for the next 12 years. Since May 1998, Mr. Davis has served as Executive Director of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation. In just two years under his leadership, the New Bedford Business Park, which had not had a sale for 10 years, generated 32 acquisitions of land and/or buildings in the Park which resulted in the creation of 3,000 new jobs throughout the region. He has been an international and national speaker at major colleges and universities and corporate conferences worldwide. Deeply engaged in the local community, Mr. Davis has participated in numerous boards and organizations, including serving as the Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Horace Mann New Bedford Global Learning Charter School. Mr. Davis and his wife reside in South Dartmouth, MA.
David Biggs Mr. Biggs, First Vice Chair, owns Biggs Partners & You Communications, delivering marketing communications expertise and workforce development program design and operation in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Previously, he was the Southcoast Market Advisor for the SouthCoast Media Group involved in explanding market share including sales coordination for the New England Business Bulletin. He also wrote business and feature articles for the Standard Times. His first career was in government at all levels working for elected officials in legislative, administrative and media roles. Deeply committed to educational issues, Mr. Biggs brings to the Board a wealth of public relations, marketing and fund development expertise. Mr. Biggs holds a BA in political science with concentrations in psychology and economics from Dickinson College.
Dave Slutz Mr. Slutz, Second Vice Chair, joined the GLCPS Board this spring. Currently President and Chief Executive Officer of PRECIX® (formerly Acushnet Rubber Company), he has held various roles in the corporate sector, including IT, sales, customer service management, product line management, as well as multiple senior leadership positions in sales and business development. This breadth of business and management experience will be highly beneficial to GLCPS as the Board considers future growth and development.
Committed to improving educational attainment for all students in our region, Mr. Slutz views education as the key to ensuring a highly skilled workforce and healthy local economy. For the past several years, PRECIX® has created corporate internship opportunities for GLCPS high school seniors, a number of whom have eventually worked for his company. To this end, Mr. Slutz has a vested interest in seeing the school succeed and produce the best students possible.
Having received his dual B.S. in Marketing/Computer Information Systems from Ferris State University in Michigan, Mr. Slutz went on to complete his Masters of Business Administration from Syracuse University in New York. Active in the community, he is Chairman of the University of Massachusetts Center for Marketing Research Board and serves on the Board of the New Bedford Economic Development Council (NBEDC). An avid sports fan, Mr. Slutz also coaches and volunteers for AAU Baseball, Brewins Youth Hockey and the Freetown-Lakeville Basketball Club.
Dr. Jean F. MacCormack Dr. MacCormack is our Board Treasurer and Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. A founding member of the Charter School, Dr. MacCormack has provided strong leadership to the school over many years. As Chancellor, she has been an advocate for developing sustainable community / university partnerships and encouraged a synergistic partnership between the University and the Charter School. Over the past several years, the University has helped shape the professional development program for our school staff. Dr. MacCormack lives in Dartmouth, MA.
Ron Melbourne Mr. Melbourne is the Clerk of our Board and brings to the Board extensive experience in business management, financial analysis, marketing and sales, as well as retail and supply chain management. Currently, he owns and manages Membrane Concepts, a custom pool lining business based in New Bedford. Membrane Concepts has installed linings at the White House in Washington DC, the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and at many prestigious hotels and sports clubs throughout the country. Prior to this, Mr. Melbourne spent several years as a business consultant and intermediary. After serving in different management roles for several Fortune 500 firms for over twelve years, Mr. Melbourne acquired his own retail and property management business which he successfully ran for seven years before divesting in 2006. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Mr. Melbourne went on to earn an MBA with Distinction from Bentley University in Waltham. He is very active in Rotary International, having served as Club President in New Bedford, and as Assistant Governor for the Southcoast region. Mr. Melbourne resides in New Bedford with his wife and two daughters, the eldest of whom is a 7th grade student at GLCPS.
Benjamin Baker Mr. Baker is a member of the Executive Committee. He and his wife are owners of Baker Books located in Dartmouth and Fall River, MA. For many years, Mr. Baker was a city planner for New Bedford as well as Executive Director of SRTA public transportation system in Southeastern Massachusetts. Mr. Baker sits on several local boards including the Ocean Explorium and he is the chair of New Bedford's Airport Commission. A resident of Dartmouth, MA, Mr. Baker is well known for his significant community involvement and philanthropic endeavors throughout the area.
Len Coriaty Mr. Coriaty is a member of the Governance Committee. He is currently Executive Director / CEO of the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. Mr. Coriaty has been serving the Greater New Bedford Area for many years and has deep connections to the area's business community. Mr. Coriaty has helped guide GLCPS in the development of our internship program for our juniors and seniors. Having enrolled his children in charter schools, he has a strong understanding of the need for innovation and excellence in education. He also spent several years on the Board of the Atlantis Charter School in Fall River. Mr. Coriaty lives in Dartmouth, MA.
Laura Orleans Laura Orleans, an independent folklorist with an MA in folklore from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is a founder and director of the Working Waterfront Festival. Having joined the GLCPS Board in November of 2010, she brings to this position experience designing and implementing arts in education programs in urban schools, work with the commercial fishing community, and deep knowledge of New Bedford's cultural landscape. Ms. Orleans has done extensive ethnography projects: Faces of Whaling and Places of Whaling, and produced "The Last of the Whaling Outfitters" a 30-minute documentary film. Prior to moving to New Bedford, Ms. Orleans was employed as a Director of School and Intergenerational Programs for Arts In Progress, a Boston-based non-profit arts in education agency, and was the Folklife Specialist at the New England Folklife Center in Lowell, MA. She is also a parent of two children, both of whom attend GLCPS.
Ismael Ramirez-Soto Mr. Ramirez-Soto is Dean of the new School of Education, Public Policy and Civic Engagement at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Prior to this post, he was Associate Professor and worked for eight years as Dean of the College of Public and Community Service at University of Massachusetts, Boston. His extensive K-20 education experience also includes serving the Puerto Rico Council of Higher Education as the Puerto Rico State Higher Education Executive Officer (SHEEO) for nine years. Having completed his BS in Urban Elementary Education from University of Hartford, Mr. Ramirez-Soto went on to obtain his JD in Civil Law from University of Puerto Rico and his EdD in Law and Education from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Ramirez-Soto lives with his family in Scituate, MA.
Jacquelyn M. Ramos Ms. Jacquelyn Ramos is an accomplished educator who is the founder, owner and chief administrator for Sunshine's Place serving children 9 months to 14-years old and their families in a multicultural early-learning center. Ms. Ramos has demonstrated a commitment to education for the past thirty years and has held positions at Wheelock College, US Department of Education, Institute for Equity in Schools, and Leslie University as the Director of the Center for Children, Families and Public Policy. Ms. Ramos lives in Acushnet, MA.
Administrative Council
Executive Director: Dr. Stephen Furtado Dr. Furtado brings 37 years as an educator and superintendent to his role as Executive Director. In 2008, he retired as Superintendent of the Freetown-Lakeville School District. In addition to his role at GLCPS, Dr. Furtado directs and serves on the faculty of the Doctoral Program in Education Leadership at Simmons College, which he designed. His past work also includes creating the principal's licensure program at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and serving as visiting professor at numerous local universities. In 2008 he co-authored the dropout bill sponsored by Representative Stephen Canessa and John Quinn. Dr. Furtado received his BA in social studies and seconday education as well as his MA in teaching from Bridgewater State College. He completed his doctoral work at LaSalle University; his disseratation focused on the Massachusetts Education Reform Law of 1993. Dr. Furtado is a frequent guest lecturer and national presenter at conferences including the Association of Teacher Educators on such topics as: "Attracting and Retaining Good Teachers", "Effective Mentoring" and "Leadership in the 21st Century". Born and raised in New Bedford, he currently resides in Fairhaven.
Middle School Principal: Lena Pires Born and raised in New Bedford, Lena Pires is the first and only one of six siblings to complete a college degree. First generation Portuguese, both of her parents spoke only Portuguese and could not read or write. Mrs. Pires received her BA in Electrical Engineering from UMass Dartmouth in 1997. She left the field of engineering to become a teacher eight years ago, when she started at GLCPS as a mathematics/science teacher. Mrs. Pires became Assistant Principal in fall of 2007 following completion of her Principals Licensure, also through UMass Dartmouth and in 2011 became our Middle School Principal. Immediately prior to GLCPS, she was an engineer at Helix Technology and from 1997 - 2000 worked in this capacity at Raytheon. Married and the devoted mother of two young sons, Mrs. Pires lives in New Bedford. She also serves on the Board of the YWCA and is a member of the Executive Committee.
High School Principal / Director of Special Education: Al Affonso Mr. Affonso brings to GLCPS 35 years of experience in K-12 special education throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Now in his fifth year at Charter, he will begin his new role as High School Principal and continue as Director of Special Education. A lifetime member of the National Education Association, Mr. Affonso has been involved in numerous professional activities throughout his career. Some of his work includes consulting for the Rhode Island Department of Education as a member of the Comprehensive System of Professional Development and the Basic Education Program, teaching in the Massachusetts Migrant Education Program, and serving as President of the Newport County Regional Special Education Teachers Association for ten years. A graduate of Boston College with a BA in special education and a minor in elementary education, he went on to receive his M.Ed. in Secondary Administration from Providence College.
Assistant Principal: Deirdre Tarpey Deirdre Tarpey began her career teaching journalism to high school students for programs at New Directions Southcoast. That experience inspired her to return to school for her teaching certification; upon completion of this program she was hired as a paraprofessional at West Side Junior and Senior High Alternative School. Deirdre went on to teach 6th grade at Taylor Elementary School before moving on to Roosevelt Middle School as a 7th grade literacy teacher. For the past eight years, she worked at Keith Middle School as an ELA teacher and writing specialist; most recently, she served as an academic coach. Deirdre received her BA in journalism from Eastern Washington University and is currently pursuing her master's degree at Bridgewater State College. She lives in New Bedford and is married with two children, Faith and Matthew. She loves all kinds of music, enjoys singing and includes running and watching NBHS Whaler basketball games among her passions.
Director of Student, Family and Community Life: Adonis Ferreira Adonis D. Ferreira assumed the position of Director of Student, Family and Community Life in March 2008. Prior to this position, he served as a fellow for the Harvard University Administrative Fellowship Program. His assignment was in the Office of Student Affairs of the Graduate School of Education. From January 2000 to September 2006, Mr. Ferreira worked for the City of New Bedford as the Cultural Affairs Coordinator. Prior to that position, Mr. Ferreira served as the Assistant and then Associate Dean for Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Maine. Mr. Ferreira came to the United States, from the Cape Verde Islands, in 1977 where he was raised and continues to reside in New Bedford. A graduate of Leadership Southcoast Class of 2007, Mr. Ferreira is a member of the NorthStar Learning Centers Advisory Board, Common Threads Capeverdean Community Conferences Executive Committee, the New Bedford Historical Society, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. He earned his B.A. and Ed.M. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Director of Business: Melissa Rodrigues Ms. Rodrigues has more than 15 years of administrative experience and has supervised the business office at GLCPS since the school was first launched in 2002. A lifelong learner, Ms. Rodrigues concentrated her undergraduate studies in Liberal Arts; earned advanced certification in Travel & Tourism; and began her career path in technical writing for an adult education institute. In the private sector, she cultivated skills in database development, office management, and business administration before returning to the education field and earning her MCPPO certification. A Vermont native, she has lived in the Southcoast since 1995 and currently resides in Westport.
Technology Director: Derek Stevens Born in Boston and raised in New Bedford, Mr. Stevens graduated from New Bedford High School in 1993 and went on to pursue his B.S. in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He continued his graduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles, receiving his C. Phil and M.S. in chemistry in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Upon returning to Massachusetts, Mr. Stevens joined the GLCPS team and is now in his ninth year at the school in his capacity of Director of Technology. Married and the father of three, Mr. Stevens resides in New Bedford.
Director of Institutional Advancement: Stephanie Wick Stephanie Wick has over 20 years of experience as a K-16 educator, with special expertise in systemic education reform and community change, as well as issues of higher education access and retention. Ms. Wick brings to GLCPS extensive management, fund raising and marketing experience. Most recently, she held the position of Director of Development for the College of Education at San Jose State University. Prior to this position, she served for ten years as Executive Director of Foundation for a College Education, a community-based college access organization in East Palo Alto, California. Additional management experience includes tenures at two educational research and development firms - Research Policy Practice (RPP) in California and Education Development Center (EDC) in Newton, MA. She started her career in college admission at Wellesley College. Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Ms. Wick recently returned to her home state and lives in New Bedford. She received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her M.A. from Stanford University.
